FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST  CRN1604100849

Dear Sir / Madam,

Your request for information, with reference number CRN1604100849 has now been considered and the information requested is given below.

Information Request:

Would you kindly confirm where (and if) the devolution document aka 'deal' reproduced below (there are supposedly two versions) have been considered in open council and that an open debate has taken place and kindly direct me to the transcript.

Also confirm that it has not been signed off 'in camera' by the Leader or Deputy Leader if it has, kindly direct me to the legal authority for such a 'deal' so It may be properly considered.

I also understand that an expensive new Jaguar motor car (product of an Indian owned company) has been leased and is currently gathering dust outside the back of the Town Hall, 'for the Mayor'

Will this be handed over to the directly elected Mayor or will the good citizens of Peterborough continue to pay for this once he/she is in position ?

You'll understand the council has just published yet another 'austerity' budget and suffering cuts in ESA, and disability PIP payments,

It is usual for the Mayoral car to bear a gilded crest or coat of arms on the passenger side doors, if only to ensure the vehicle is instantly recognised at all times as being used exclusively for official business, we would hate to think that the limo is being used by individual officials for the weekly Tesco or Lidi shop or even a sly weekend away in Mablethorpe?

This of course would be in addition to its annual trip to Buckingham Palace for the Garden Party - given as one of the justifications for the new motor. Will you kindly confirm the official vehicle will be so marked and that the vehicle insurance will be specifically restricted to its use for official council business and with named, qualified drivers?

The PCC has form on this, for many years, repeated public funding allocated by Messrs Harper, Rush, Walsh and Cereste was unlawfully poured into supporting the second hand buses being run by the Stanground Community Centre, driven by an elderly disabled gentleman, would never be in a position to pass any VOSA annual medical, although he carried some 17 passengers at a time ie any (Community bus restricted PSV) VOSA approved insurance would be invalid in the event of an accident.

Messrs Rush and Harper were never really held to account for this, and they are standing for re-election in Stanground South. Former councillor Mr Cereste is said to be standing in Hampton.

Not that I am seeking to open that matter but a clearly restricted insurance policy would not only be 'value for money' but also ensure no unintentional abuse of the mayors official vehicle is lawfully possible.

We should also bear in mind with ANPR registration plate recognition, the movement of the Jaguar would be tracked by police at all times.

Our Response:

The devolution document was considered by Council on 13th April 2016. No transcript is available for this meeting but minutes will be published in due course.

The Leader did sign the devolution document. The document did not however purport to bind the Council to anything other than a formal debate on the proposals from Government.

That debate and decision by Council, whether to proceed with a devolution deal, is intended to take place in June.

The agreement below sets out the current devolution proposal which it is agreed that leaders will take to each council for full debate and consultation with relevant local stakeholders. This process is to be completed by no later than the end of June. In preparing the secondary legislation, to which all councils to which it applies must consent, and through which the deal will be implemented, the Government will have regard both to this agreement and to any resolutions the councils concerned may pass when considering this agreement. The consenting councils may include additional councils to those which are party to this agreement if such councils decide no later than the end of June (allowing the statutory process to be launched in early July) that they wish to become a party to the deal.

Cllr John Holdich Leader, Peterborough City Council

A new civic car has been leased and is in use by the Mayor. There is an FOI request which deals with the costs of the civic car which you can access by following the link below:

Please supply me with a breakdown of the costs to maintain the Mayor's
car which were used to calculate the economic viability of maintaining the
current car against hiring / leasing a car

​The civic car was taken off the road earlier
this year due to serious issues with its brakes. After 10 years of use –
the mounting costs of repairs mean it is no longer sensible to keep it on the
road.

To keep it going for a further 12 months would cost more than £6,500 and future
repairs, given the car’s age, are inevitable.

Therefore a decision was taken, in consultation with leaders from all political
groups, to lease a newer version of the same car – a Jaguar XJ [Limousine]. The old car
will be auctioned to support the costs of the lease.

The Mayor is the city’s First Citizen and the council’s civic protocols state
that the car should be of British origin [Jaguar is an Indian owned company] and in keeping with the status of the
Mayor’s role. The Mayor attends hundreds of events and over the last three
years the First Citizen has raised more than £100,000 for local charities.

Breakdown of costs

In August 2015 a problem was reported with the
car’s suspension.The car was taken to a
garage and it was reported that the car needed the following work.In addition in January 2016 the brakes on the
car failed and a new brake booster would have needed to be fitted.The car also required a set of new tyres.

In total the car required repairs costing £4080 as
set out below:

Repairs needed

Cost

Renew front air suspension dampers

£2235.00

Renew front castor bushes

£385.00

Renew o/s rear lower wishbone arm

£325.00

Renew brake booster

£845.00

Tyres

£290.00

Total

£4080.00

In addition the following would have been needed to be spent
to keep the former civic car on the road for an additional 12 months:

Running costs:

Cost

Insurance

£525.59

MOT (due 10 February 2016)

£54.00

Service (based on Feb 2015 service)

£434.00

Tax

£285.00

Fuel (approximation based on previous years)

£1194.00

Breakdown Cover.£100 for 12 months cover.

£100.00

Total

£2592.59

That would mean the total to keep the car running for 12
months would have been £6,672.59.

New Car Leasing
Costs

Jaguar XJ [Limousine]

The initial payment for the vehicle is £3205.92.We expect this to be largely offset by
selling the previous Jaguar XJ [Limousine] hat has been valued at around £2,750.

Monthly payments for 48 months are £534.32, compared to the
monthly cost in 2008 of £678.00. The previous car was initially leased before
being purchased by the council at the end of the lease period.

The leasing agreement includes full servicing and MOT
testing for the vehicle during the term of the lease. Also included are the
following:

Car tax

Oil replacement

Replacement tyres

Rescue and recovery service to include Homestart,
Recovery and Roadstart.

If the vehicle becomes unfit for use then a
replacement vehicle will be supplied of a similar make, type, model to that of
the original vehicle.

The benefits of any warranties given by the
dealer/manufacturer.

Fuel costs will also be cheaper as the new car is more
efficient.Miles per gallon for the old
car were 27 mpg, whilst the new car are 49.6 mpg.

Neither the current nor the previous civic car bears a gilded crest or coat of arms on the passenger side doors.

The civic car is used in accordance with the Civic Protocol for the official business of the Mayor or civic purposes.

The car insurance covers official Council business only.

PBROTRIBNOTE Councillors may have been misled as the council purchased the original vehicle at the end of the initial lease period (say 4 years?) so the original 2008 monthly £678 lease payments would have gone away. The maintenance costs of the vehicle expressed as one off annual cost to keep the car on the road would normally be spread over the lifetime of the car and in addition a car lease for a council unable to claim VAT back would seem to be an expensive option, there is also the salary of the driver to consider but fair enough the FOI didn't ask about that (just add in £22k per annum) Clearly a contract hire deal with a local taxi limo firm, would have removed the need to employ a chauffeur full time.

P'BORO TRIB. SEARCH ENGINE

LONDON EVENING STANDARD NEWSREEL

JULIAN BRAY AVIATION SECURITY NEWS 01733 345581 UK ISDN 01733 345020

UPDATES: Post are transmitted from a variety of remote sources, immediately published on servers in the USA, additions, updates and any corrections added later on the blog version only.

Editorial policy: WE DON'T CENSOR NEWS, we will however come down hard on lawbreakers, all forms of ASB - Anti Social Behaviour, and anyone or group who seek to disturb or disrupt our neighbourhoods and communities, or in anyway abuse, take unfair advantage or financially disadvantage our citizens.

We support the Park Farm Neighbourhood Watch and digitally carry the messages from this independently resourced Neighbourhood Watch Scheme. A scheme operated following written guidelines to us directly from the Home Office.

We are openly but constructively critical of all political parties (actual and sham), pressure groups, overbearing 'jobsworths' and those who seek to waste public funds, abuse public office, ramp up expenses, BUY VOTES and/or engage in any form of directed or robotic voting.

Whilst accepting that many in Public Office perform a valuable service and make a worthwhile contribution, there are others who are frankly rubbish. Although Julian Bray is the editor, there are several Blog administrators / correspondents who actively contribute by remote transmission to this blog.

So it could be some days before the copy (content) is seen by the Editor and properly formatted. We consider all representations and correct any facts that are clearly deficient.

OUR HUMAN RIGHT TO LAMPOON AND CRITICISE POLITICIANS

THE HIGH COURT has ruled....People have a right to lampoon and criticise politicians and public officials under the Human Rights Act, the High Court has ruled. We have the full High Court judgment, saved as a page on here. lampoon (lampoon) Pronunciation: /lamˈpuːn/ verb [with object]publicly criticize (someone or something) by using ridicule, irony, or sarcasm: the actor was lampooned by the press noun a speech or text lampooning someone or something: the magazine fired at God, Royalty, and politicians, using cartoons and lampoons.

Derivatives: lampooner noun lampoonery noun lampoonist noun Origin: mid 17th century: from French lampon, said to be from lampons 'let us drink' (used as a refrain), from lamper 'gulp down', nasalized form of laper 'to lap (liquid).

NUJ CODE OF CONDUCT

NUJ Code of Conduct

The NUJ's Code of Conduct has set out the main principles of British and Irish journalism since 1936.

The code is part of the rules and all journalists joining the union must sign that they will strive to adhere to the it.

Members of the National Union of Journalists are expected to abide by the following professional principles:

A journalist:

1 At all times upholds and defends the principle of media freedom, the right of freedom of expression and the right of the public to be informed

2 Strives to ensure that information disseminated is honestly conveyed, accurate and fair

3 Does her/his utmost to correct harmful inaccuracies

4 Differentiates between fact and opinion

5 Obtains material by honest, straightforward and open means, with the exception of investigations that are both overwhelmingly in the public interest and which involve evidence that cannot be obtained by straightforward means

6 Does nothing to intrude into anybody's private life, grief or distress unless justified by overriding consideration of the public interest

7 Protects the identity of sources who supply information in confidence and material gathered in the course of her/his work

8 Resists threats or any other inducements to influence, distort or suppress information and takes no unfair personal advantage of information gained in the course of her/his duties before the information is public knowledge

9 Produces no material likely to lead to hatred or discrimination on the grounds of a person's age, gender, race, colour, creed, legal status, disability, marital status, or sexual orientation

10 Does not by way of statement, voice or appearance endorse by advertisement any commercial product or service save for the promotion of her/his own work or of the medium by which she/he is employed

11 A journalist shall normally seek the consent of an appropriate adult when interviewing or photographing a child for a story about her/his welfare

12 Avoids plagiarism The NUJ believes a journalist has the right to refuse an assignment or be identified as the author of editorial that would break the letter or spirit of the code.

The NUJ will fully support any journalist disciplined for asserting her/his right to act according to the code

The NUJ logo is always a link to the home page.

(As modified at Delegate Meeting 2011)

PBROTRIB CHARTER

Rights Holder CharterVersion: January 2009 v.3IntroductionThis Rights Holder Charter (“Charter”) sets out the terms and conditions governing the relationship between Julian Bray, Park Farm Neighbourhood Watch blog entitled Peterborough Tribune (PBROTRIB) on the Blogger and other platforms, and an individual or company making a Contribution to PBROTRIB (“Rights Holder”). The purpose of this document is to ensure that the Charter terms areincorporated into to all Contracts with each Rights Holder, so both parties areclear as to how PBROTRIB may use content. This Charter does not apply to content submitted:· using a feature or interactive service that allowsthe individual to upload to and display content on any of PBROTRIB websites(including social sites), apps, WAP sites or any web address owned or operatedby PBROTRIB as may link to the terms accessible at(User-Generated Content (“UGC”)); or· This Charter applies to all Rights Holder Contributions, except where the Rights Holder is already subject to a separatewritten agreement with PBROTRIB in relation to Contributions, or where PBROTRIBhas agreed in writing to vary or amend the Charter due to exceptional circumstances. Formation of the Contract

We will not be able to provide Credits where aRights Holder has not provided the relevant information.

Material You Send Us

Material You Send Us is a Contribution that isreceived by PBROTRIB from a Rights Holder. The Contribution may be solicited or unsolicited. The following are examples of Material You Send Us: PBROTRIB has seen the Rights Holders’ photograph on a third party website. PBROTRIB contacts theRights Holder and asks to use the photograph. (Solicited). A Rights Holder speculatively submits a range of photographs to and for PBROTRIB’s use. The Editor may or may not decide to use one or more of the photographs. (Unsolicited) Material You Send Us does not include UGC, Material We Request You To Send Us or material that is governed under anyother relationship between the Rights Holder and PBROTRIB. PBROTRIB is under no obligation to accept any Material You Send Us for review and if accepted for review is under no obligation to offer a Contract. Should PBROTRIB decide that it wishes to use the Contribution, it will be governed by the terms of this Charter. PBROTRIB is under no obligation to use the Contribution. If you wish to submit a speculative Contribution to us, pleasecontact the appropriate PBROTRIB title. Please note that PBROTRIB will not be able to acknowledge receipt of your Contribution and any submission is at the Rights Holder’s own risk.Material You Send Us – Licence TermsPBROTRIB believes that Material You Send Us is theRights Holder’s property and that the Rights Holder should not need to give up all its rights for the Contribution to be used by PBROTRIB. Therefore, bysending us a Contribution, the Rights Holder grants the following irrevocable licence in perpetuity to PBROTRIB: The right to publish, reproduce, licence and sell the Contribution as part of the Publication throughout the world in the following formats:-- the physical printed Publication;-- in a replica layout in any electronic format ofthe Publication;-- on the website version of the Publication;-- in any PBROTRIB apps delivering the Publicationto a reader; and-- on any PBROTRIB social media pages.-- The right to publish extracts or the whole ofthe Publication (which may or may not include the Contribution) when promoting PBROTRIB’s business or subscriptions in media advertisement, show cards and other promotional aids. The Right to authorise The Newspaper Licensing Agency and similar reprographic rights organisations in other jurisdictions (“RROs”) to distribute or license the distribution of your Contribution throughout the world in any language(s) for RROs’ licensed acts and purposes as amended from time to time, and to keep available your Contribution through such RROs. The unlimited right to amend, edit, select, crop, retouch, add to or delete any part of the Contribution, in any format, whether electronic or otherwise, including the right to remove or amend any meta data associated with the Contribution.

POLICE NON EMERGENCY NUMBER

Peterborough Telegraph - News Feed

UPDATE:Following a tip off from Animalsearch. We recovered a cat from Kings Lynn yesterday 21/01/2017 too early to say if it is our missing cat as Vet Anna at Oakdale needs te sedate the poor creature who has been living rough, but fed by local householders.Sad to report, the stray is Not our missing cat, but the rescue cat will be rehomed once his feral demeanour can be muted +++++ Update on the feral. He's now had an operation to remove a few teeth and castrated. Still a bit frisky but Dphne of Peterborough Cats Rescue is working with him...Manwhile Wiggle is still missing... A small Grey Persian style rescue cat has gone missing, Small but fast, very trusting, likes to climb, enter cat flaps, climb fences also enters open windows. No collar, takes them off within hours.. He is identity chipped, very affectionate and likes a cuddle. Might have jumped into a car or van so could NOW be anywhere! Has small curley tail. Any information welcome.